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Sena 20S - Any Issues?


Skids

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I'm considering upgrading from my current SMH-10 to a 20s, mainly so I can listen to FM radio on my daily commute. Mrs Skids will continue to use her SMH-10 as she doesn't pillion that often to make it worthwhile upgrading hers (yet).

I've read of a few issues with the 20s, suggesting that it is unreliable, doesn't pair reliably, volume issues etc and that perhaps it was brought to market too soon. But I gather they have released a new version that tackles these issues.

Does anyone here have any experiences, good or bad with the 20s that can confirm or otherwise the info above?

Thanks.

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I used to have the SMH-10 and upgraded to the 20S when they came out. I use custom molded stereo plugs and was tired of replacing the cradle every 6-8 months.

Overall, i think the 20S is better. I don't use the FM tuner though. I have tried a couple of times and can never get it to work correctly. It is much easier to just stream the music from my phone.

I seem to bump the jog button on the 20S with my shoulder more than i used to with the SMH-10. Either it bumps the intercom or turns up or down the volume when I do it.

The one feature I really like about the 20S over the SMH-10 is I can Bluetooth connect more than 1 phone. Every 3-4 weekends I am on call with work and have to carry a department phone in addition to my personal phone. The 20S allows me to connect both phones. Or I can connect my SR10 which has my GPS and radar detector plugged into it. Newer SMH-10 software might allow you to do that too, but when I had mine it couldn't.

Oh, the 20S also has an ambient noise feature so you can hear people/things around you through the speakers. I thought that feature would be fantastic. I used it a few times when I first got the 20S but haven't used it much since.

I have connected to an SMH-10 with my 20S without an issue.

I did have a couple of problems when I first got the 20S. A whine in the stereo plugs (it wasn't there with their speakers), they had to replace the unit. Also, the units would not lock into the cradles, the cradle was replaced. Both of those issues were fixed within the first 3 months of owning them and I haven't had any more issues. I bought them in late July 2014.

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I have the SMH10, but really wanted the 20s, but a concern of mine was how far the module sticks out, that's got to create another source of wind noise or drag?

Not noticable though?

I've never noticed more noise or drag, but I wear custom molded stereo plugs, so they are like ear plugs.

As mentioned above, I do seem to bump the job button with my shoulder more with the 20S than I did with the SMH-10. Maybe because it sticks out more? Or just they way the button is designed.

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I've had a 20S since last May or so. I mainly bought it because of the dual-module feature that would in theory allow me to listen to music with intercom overlaid on it. I upgraded from an SMH-10R I'd used for over a year prior to that with no issues. So far my experience has been very good, with only a few pet peeves; the maximum volume isn't really high enough for me to listen to music at the level I'd like while on the interstate, but I also wear earplugs every time I go anywhere on the bike so I know that has something to do with it. Max volume is definitely lower than the SMH-10R though. Sound quality is great, I can actually hear bass through earplugs and actually find sound quality through plugs to be better than just the raw speakers.

I use the FM radio quite frequently and it generally works well; reception is much more dependent on the power of the station transmitter than with a car radio, and it drops out quickly if I'm under a bridge or in even a short tunnel. Intercom functions work very well, my wife and I have never had problems pairing her SMH-5FM with mine; the only issue I have is that if I try to stream music from my phone with intercom going at the same time, the music stutters badly for the first 5-10 seconds, but is usually fine after that. Intercom voice quality is great and the range is pretty long with good line-of-site, but is reduced quickly when the road gets curvy and/or there are lots of trees in the way. I would say a third of a mile is the limit of good voice quality range with other new Sena units, and maybe a quarter mile to 1000 feet with older units like the 5FM. Universal intercom is kind of a pain to set up depending on which brand you're pairing with, but works well once set up, albeit with reduced range. Ambient Mode is also handy if you're trying to have a conversation through your helmet, although a loud exhaust will drown it out completely even when stopped.

The unit itself is somewhat large, and the pop-up antenna often gets caught on my visor mechanism, but I like that the head unit is removable; it fits in one of the nooks under the seat of my 6th-gen so I don't have to worry about having it stolen off my helmet if I lock it up to the bike. Any extra drag on my helmet at speed is so minor I don't notice it, and is likely taken care of by my windscreen. The clamp is very hefty and does stick out a little ways below my helmet, but it has a built-in mic, an extra button, and the headphone and AUX ports for hooking up external devices. Overall it probably has the most features of any communicator on the market and the only way I'd trade it out is if I got a helmet that's compatible with one of the 10U helmet-specific sets like the GT-Air or Schuberth C3.

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:tour: No problem. Sena sets got really popular in my area a couple of years ago so I've had a lot of opportunities to get reviews from friends and try them out myself. Their current lineup is the best on the market by far.

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The SMH-10 units are also removable from the cradles, and can be used with the SR-10 (if using the current firmware). I bought my SMH-10 system after the 20S had been released, but when people were still tearing strips off of SENA for all the teething problems they said they were having with the new model, so I decided to go for the much cheaper "old" technology for my first Bluetooth intercom (after a lifetime using Autocoms). I was initially quite skeptical about "cutting the cord", but I have to say that I'm happy with wireless--at least enough to not go back to wires. BT wasn't really designed to stream stereo and sat nav instructions and intercoms all at once, so the fact that it works pretty well most of the time is remarkable. Sometimes I lose full connectivity and cannot get it back without resetting everything, but that is rare. (I have only used my SMH-10 solo, so I don't know how well the intercom features actually work with passengers or other riders.)

It is good to hear that the 20S is now a safe option, because some of the extra features sound great. Nothing that will cause me to upgrade at the moment, though.

Ciao,

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  • 2 years later...

Yes - definitely issues with the 20S:  Check out Sena's own forums:

 

https://support.sena.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/216721806-drum-sound-Sena-20s

https://support.sena.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/216698186-A-lot-of-Static-Noise-in-intercoms

 

... after years the issue still hasn't been addressed.

 

Has no one here experienced this issue with the 20S?  (Poor audio quality / static and popping when connected with more than 2 riders)?

 

I've been using the SMH-10 for years without problems. Love these intercoms. Had to get a new intercom, so opted for the 20S instead. (I wish I had have come across the links above prior). 1 on 1 communication is brilliant, but add a 3rd connection to the mix, and it goes from perfection to shocking.

 

Sena appears to be silent on the issue. I'm not sure what to do. The original group have started off with SENA intercoms (almost all have SMH-10's at present), but if this is the direction Sena are heading with their quality - I'm not sure what to do. Jumping ship would be very costly to the whole group, but continuing to spend more money on a system that's got problems that are being ignored is another thing altogether...

 

Is there anyone here that's familiar with these issues with the SENA, and can comment whether the same problem plagues the 20S-EVO, and the 30K, or if the issue was resolved in these units? I'm hoping that the problem is isolated to the original 20S, and all other units are fine - but I'm extremely hesitant to spend anymore money or recommend Sena until I've had some clarification.

 

Thanks & Regards


Adam.

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